Shatter
by StormyNight108
Summary: April O'Neil has lived her entire life within the walls of TCRI, held captive by the Kraang and exposed to various experiments and tests. She had long since grown accustomed to this lifestyle, but when four mutant turtles break into her life and free her of her bondage, she must enter a world she had only fantasized about during her sixteen years of captivity. [Universe Alternated]
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome, welcome! I apologize for not writing as often as I should, but I've had a lack of inspiration lately and have just fallen into other things. Luckily, Pasteljellyfish on tumblr posted a fantastic drawing of "captive April", and knuczema suggested an idea where April had been captive her entire life before the turtles rescued her on a mission. I'm crediting these two for the idea of the story. This is a UA (Universe Alterated), and I hope you enjoy! I haven't written in a while, so I apologize if anything sounds weird. I need to get back into the habit of writing things...**

* * *

Sometimes the experiments were painful.

Given the fact that these creatures preferred amusement over cleanliness, it sometimes surprised her that she wasn't in constant pain and agony. In fact, a few tests were even painless. It was more or less due to the fact that they needed her alive and in good health, and she took pleasure in her preservation. Who wouldn't? If it meant she'd breathe without struggle, she could face these tests. It wasn't like she had any choice.

Even so, sometimes she'd catch a burst of pain from the many complicated devices her captors held. They found enjoyment in her hurt. Sometimes she'd question, and other times, she would grin and bear it. What else was there to do?

Her name was April O'Neil. Or so… that's what she had heard the Kraang identify her as. April O'Neil. Sixteen earth years of age. DNA: Unstable for extraction. That's what it read on her nameplate, positioned outside her cell on a purple screen. Sometimes the number of her age would change. It would only grow. She wasn't sure what they meant by "earth years of age", though she wondered if it established her time spent living in this cell. She couldn't remember when the number was very small.

The rough hands holding on to her forearms were sturdy and stiff, belittling any extra thought of breaking away from them. It's not like she had any reason to. These beings fed her, sheltered her, and took care of her. Even if they were sometimes abusive. The one gripping her right arm leaned his head forward, scanning against the panel for entry. When the door _shhhhushed_ open, April O'Neil was mercilessly shoved inside. The door shut behind her.

There was a shadow of a memory that always haunted her in the corners of this room. Sometimes, she could have sworn that she wasn't alone before. Someone used to share this room with her. She had asked one time, and the Kraang had more or less responded "The cellmate that you are inquiring of is that which is your earthly mother figure."

"What's her status?" April had asked curiously.

"Status of that which is your earthly mother figure: deceased."

Deceased. Huh. She wasn't sure what to feel about that. Frankly, she wasn't at all certain what a mother was in the first place. She tried to ask, though the Kraang's answer was pretty vague. A female authoritive figure of their offspring or adopted child. April O'Neil had spent the entire afternoon sitting on her cot hugging her knees, trying to think about what that meant, if it did at all. This person she shared her cell with gave birth to her? And she took care of her? It was interesting to think about.

Her English was stable. She picked up on many things the Kraang conversed over, as well as from the books she was allowed to read in her free time. Boredom was a problem among these walls, especially since the Kraang weren't too keen on playing. She had overheard them talking about books one day, and asked if she could try to read a book for herself. The next day, a horde of books had been dropped into her room, which were now neatly stacked against the opposite wall to her cot. An entire range of stories were given to her, from children's books to adult horror. Because she was still learning, she started with the easiest picture books.

It was odd, seeing pictures and scenes that she would have never imagined in her mind. This Kraang facility and building were all she knew… and these books told her of places far-away and beings she had never even heard of. She lived in a world. But sometimes, it was hard to believe. The sun, the grass, the horses, the dogs, those things sounded insane. She had never laid her eyes on these things, nor did she believe she ever would. It was hard enough attempting to picture them, even if a drawing was included.

The door to her room was locked behind her every day, though she had already figured out how to override it from the inside. Their place was huge. Overwhelmingly. Sometimes she'd read spy stories, where the character would have to wear all black to blend in to his surroundings so he wouldn't be seen. However, it was quite the opposite here, what with the silvery white walls and lights around every corner. Her clothing, much like her home, was white. Right down to the headband. The only problem was her ginger red hair.

While one would think venturing the facility was dangerous, she never received any penalty when she was caught out of her room. The Kraang would simply grab her and take her back. The idiots never even fixed the lock. But she never complained, nor did she expect any different. It was her life. Her meal was slipped through the door every day, like it would be soon, and she would eat.

Her meals were always the same. She hated the way they felt on her tongue, but knew that if she didn't eat, she would be hungry and her stomach would hurt. In her books, they'd sometimes talk about different kinds of foods. Chicken, pasta, pizza… but it was mythical. All of it was. For a while, she had thought, and wondered if these books told truth. But she had given in to safety in sight fairly quickly, due to the fact that all the things these books ever talked about she had never seen with her own eyes. There was nothing outside these walls. Nothing that would make eating things feel good. The world she fantasized didn't exist outside her books.

But sometimes… while she lay awake in her room on a dark night after a painful test, she would hug her pillow and pretend they were real. And that one day, she'd get to see them for herself.

* * *

"This is what I've been trying to encrypt all night." Donatello groaned, rubbing the back of his hand against his head with a tiresome sigh. "I just can't seem to get it."

Mikey snorted. "Did you try-"

"Yes."

"…I was going to say 'giving up', but whatever, man."

The New York skies were dark, though stars were scarce. Too many lights crowded the streets, ruining the illusion for anyone that were to stay in the light. A chill bit the air, the early October weather making it's appearance. Four brothers stood atop the roofs as if they had done so all their life. "Shut up, Mikey, this is important." Donnie elbowed him, his eyes never escaping the screen. He felt pairs of breaths tickle his skin as his brothers joined in peering over his shoulders at his phone, and he held back a strangled sigh. "Guys. I cannot concentrate, when you are all _breathing down my neck_."

Leo took a step back, his eyes surveying the rooftops around him with intense care. While he had adjusted to the roofs of New York fairly quickly, they were still new and young to his eyes. Tugging at one of his katana belts, he sighed, feeling them cling tighter against his shell. "Donnie, I think we have enough information. Can we just get a move on?"

"I want to make sure we know what we're getting in to." He defended, finally breaking his gaze away from his screen to face his older brother. "These Kraang have a large, possibly deadly, project that they've been so keen to work on. We need to take it down, I get that, but what if we get there and it's this huge, complicated machine? I need to-"

"Donnie, for someone so smart, you're so stupid." Raphael interrupted, leaning an elbow on his brother's shoulder and receiving an irritated glare. "It doesn't matter how complex the thing is, we just have to _destroy_ it. It's taken them years to create this, right? It'll take them years all over again, and it'll leave us plenty of time to wipe them out. Done and done."

"No, it's not done and done. I want to be prepared."

"And I want to head in and take it down before things get out of hand." Leonardo agreed, more on the side of subtlety, and turned away. "You've been at it for hours, Donnie. And you're not any closer. I think it'd be wise to move in. If we wait any longer, we may be too late."

He leaped the alleyway, his motions slow to allow his brothers time to catch up. Donnie watched, blinking tiredly, before Raph put a hand on his shoulder and nodded in his direction. With a sigh, the genius tucked away his phone and took off, sticking to his group of brothers as they approached the building of TCRI.

* * *

Getting in was the hard part. Getting to the secret project was the harder part. With the little information they had access to, they were able to pinpoint its location in the tower. With this, Donatello led the way, his brothers a single step behind him with weapons drawn at ready. The halls were long, curving, winding, and more than once, they had veered off the track. The Kraang were in hundreds, and the turtles took them down each time with as much effort as they could put forth.

They were panting at one point, actually panting, from the excessive fighting. Usually, the trained ninja had stronger builds and shapes. But even the strongest Warrior could get tired. And these young creatures, still fifteen years of age, found themselves catching their breaths as Donatello picked up his pace once more.

"It's just around the- _oh give me a break_!" He had cried out at one point, the hallways stuffed with the robots and their blasters behind the bend. Alive with the energy of battle, though exhausted from their wall of defenders, the turtles took on and took down each Kraang in that hallway, weapons ablaze.

"Dude, I know I said I was excited for some Kraang-pounding and all, but this is ridiculous." Mikey panted, leaning against his knees as Raph took down the last Kraang in their way with a simple shot of his sai. Nothing fancy anymore. Fancy fighting meant more work, and Leonardo didn't think he could handle anymore than the minimal.

There was no time to waste. Their steps echoing the halls, belts and buckles clashing against each other, the four made their way through the hallways. Every once in a while, a stray Kraang would show his face, and would die at the slash of a weapon. No bothering. Just finishing the job.

And on top of it all, the alarm was blaring nice and loud.

"Here, over here!" Donnie ordered, veering down the hall on his left with his Tphone beeping away. In the middle of the hall, two Kraang were walking the opposite direction. Mikey and Leo each sprung out, taking both down easily and turning around. The door had a retinal scanner on it. Without another word, he turned back, reached down, and tore off the head of one of the fallen Kraang. The two pink creatures that had escaped the body were already halfway down the hall in their escape, but they couldn't be worried about now.

Shoving the faceplate up to the lock, Donatello mentally prepared himself to take in whatever complex machinery was behind this door.

The room was opened, and he saw the last thing he could have ever expected.

A girl.

* * *

She would be expecting her meal soon.

It was always a small amount of time between the end of her testing and her meal. And while the taste was disgusting, she had to eat before she got hungrier than she had already fallen captive to. Usually, she would venture to her bed and wait for her meal to slip through the door. Usually, she'd pluck the waterbottle off her table and drink the whole thing, so that when the meal came, she could ask for a new bottle. Usually, she'd try to read a little more before she was forced to turn her lights out.

Now, standing in the center of her room in the dark lit only by a lamp, April lingered. Because every night, when she was escorted to her room, she could usually hear the footsteps of the alien robots making their way to the end of the hall. But tonight, this very night, there was a difference. She heard the slicing of metal, the malfunction of machinery, and the hiss of her door re-opening. All of which she was unfamiliar of. No, no this was wrong. This was different. She spun on her feet, the hallway light spilling into her room, and she visibly froze. Because for the first time in her life, something… someone… some creatures… had broken her routine.

And they were green.

They wore belts, with cloths over their faces. The one with the purple cloth, bandana tails trailing down his left shoulder, had frozen as if he had been slapped. His gaze, a chocolate color (she had read about chocolate, another type of food, and heard of it's delicious taste), looked up and down at her in disbelief, his mouth agape.

The other three were behind him, staring at her with the same mix of confusion and fear. It wasn't until seconds later, blaster fire erupted at the end of the hall and the blue one shoved the others into the room. Getting down to business, he shoved the purple-masked one to the side and approached April O'Neil. "Is the project in here?" He asked, his gaze searching the room instead of looking to her for answers.

She was too dumbfounded to speak.

"Umm, guys…" The orange-masked one snatched a device from the stiff fingers of the purple-masked one. The red-masked one's eyes turned to the orange, and followed him as he stepped towards her. With a look of curiosity, the device was held up to her. A distant bleeping picked up it's pace, and her heart raced in time to it.

"…Oh…" The red one muttered in disbelief.

The Kraang had reached her room, and blazers lit the room. "Kraang, watch fire so that you are not to blast that which is known as April O'Neil."

"Affirmative, Kraang. I will watch fire so that I am not to blast that which is known as April O'Neil."

"Don't those guys ever know how to shorten sentences?" The orange one was dancing. No… he was flipping around and dodging the lasers. April finally forced her feet to move, and began to run to the side, her eyes wide with fear. She didn't know what was going on, she didn't know who they were, she didn't know why… some of their blasts were tearing through her shelf of books. Fury boiled in her chest and she straightened up.

"Don't hit those!" She cried out angrily, reaching a hand out, and retracting it shortly after as a blast nearly blew her head off. She retreated to the corner, holding her hands at her chest. It was a small room, but the creatures were doing fine making use of the space. The Kraang were being sliced open, and the actual pink creatures were escaping and retreating down the halls. What on earth was going on? Why where they killing the robots?

"We'll figure it out later, just grab her!" The blue one spat out the order as he took down the last Kraang, and the red one took two heavy steps towards her. Suddenly the world was spinning and she was thrown over his shoulder, his arm wrapped around the pits of her knees. Her chin banged against his shell, and she bit her tongue.

"Ah- let me go!" She cried out, squirming in his hold. But his grip was an iron one, and it reminded her of the Kraang's stiff hands. Though whatever held her was warm, with skin unlike her own or the Kraang's. It almost made her want to resist the temptation to fight.

_Almost_.

She tried bashing her hands against his back, but came to realize that whatever this part of him was, it was strong and sturdy. So she attempted kicking. His other arm came around and braced her ankles, and suddenly she was terrified. "Please- let me go!" She reduced to begging, squirming in his hold though making no purchase.

"Stop squirming!" He barked with irritation, and she was beginning to fall into panic. "Leo, what are we _doing_?"

The blue one replied with soft, confused eyes, as if he had no idea. "Improvising." He said simply, and proceeded to take on the number of Kraang coming around the corner.

"Alright, listen girl," The red one sneered, tightening his grip. She swallowed. "I don't know who you are, or what you know about the Kraang, or if you're on their side or not, just know that if you try to fight me and I end up dropping you, they'll probably end up shooting you on a bad shot. They're all lousy shots."

"I've cleared a path, the ledge is this way!" The orange one cried out, but April couldn't see anymore. She was staring down at the floor helplessly, surrounded by purple gunfire, her chest slapping against the shell of her captor with each step. She had stopped fighting, mostly because she knew there was no use, and finally just closed her eyes. There was a perfectly good explanation for this. She was dreaming. Of course she was dreaming. She probably fell asleep reading again.

The white floor beneath them suddenly disappeared, and a chill of air slapped against her face with a gust of wind. A sound like shattering glass filled her ears, and the bits and pieces were falling down the side of the building. At the bottom, there lay a scene so unlike anything she could have ever imagined. It suddenly didn't matter that her captor was kidnapping her, or that the Kraang were still firing, or that she was _hundreds of feet in the air, _her ponytail slapping against her neck wildly at the sweep_. _Because for the first time in her life, she was outside the Kraang facility.

And she was terrified.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the feedback, guys! It really means a lot to me, and I really appreciate it. Also, I wanted to make a shoutout to thegreysman on tumblr for creating fanart for my fanfiction! Thank you SOOOO much! This is the first time anyone has ever done that for one of my stories, and I just want to thank you for that. It really made my day. **

**It's been a long morning, and I'm exhausted, so I hope this chapter turned out the way I wanted it to. Again, thank you for the feedback, I love you guys!**

* * *

She wanted to scream. She needed to scream. She needed to kick, hit, fight against this guy's restraining arms, but she can't even breathe. Everything above her waist was upside down, her eyes facing the ground below as they're falling. No, they're not falling. The ground would have been growing closer to them had they been falling. So they're flying?

Her arms had nothing to hold on to. And at some point, she had found the breath to scream. She knew because she could hear it. Couldn't stop herself. Couldn't shut her eyes. Her heart was turning over in her chest and her blood was pounding into the sides of her head with a rush of blood.

The moment she realized they were neither falling nor soaring was when she spotted rope. Attached between the edge of TCRI and something else, they were gliding. Whoever was holding her had let go of her ankles long ago, and was only holding on to her by her knees. Draped over his shoulder uncomfortably with nothing to do but scream, her eyes were glued to the ground, hundreds of feet below.

This place shouldn't even exist.

When her captor's feet touched ground, her screaming cut short. Then, they were running again, her arms trying to keep herself from slamming against his shell with each stride. They had really weird shoulders, with each end of the hard surfaces on this guy's body cutting into her sides. She wanted to go home. Back to her room. Where she could find a nice book and pray that she would never leave tjose walls ever again.

"Stop!" She finally barked out angrily, though Red didn't budge from his racing. At one point, he leaped, and she was facing another long way down. This time it took only seconds for his feet to make purchase again. "I said stop! Put me down!" She ordered, banging her fists against his back.

"Calm down already!" He cried out, irritation clear. "We'll stop in a few minutes."

"But this hurts!" She complained, hoping they weren't entirely heartless. Her head was starting to fuzz from being upside down, and she leaned her elbows against his back in attempt to sit herself up.

"Fine, fine!" There was a sudden shift, and she was flung upwards. A short squeal escaped her and she flailed a bit, terror catching her breath, until she landed in his arms and he was holding her up. His intense green eyes met hers, and she cowered back. "Now maybe you could shut up until we find a place to stop?" He asked down at her, a sneer pulling his upper lip.

Since he had asked so nicely, she complied.

Her eyes began to wander, taking in her surroundings. And her heartbeat was in her throat. Because every direction seemed to hold something bright, new, different, and seemed to stretch on forever. Where were the walls that closed the place in? Was this really… outside? The place they had talked about in her books? Where's the sun?

She looked up. And the dark sky above her displayed a small handful of white spots, decorating the darkness like sprinkles

Stars?

Instead of feeling excited, or full of wonder, she felt sick to her stomach. The four of them were still jumping and leaping about, passing the gaps between grounds as if it were an exercise. It took a few minutes before she felt herself begin to shake, her arms curled up to her chest and her head bent inwards.

"This way." The one in blue directed, turning a corner. She had earlier heard his name to be Leo. He seemed to be taking charge quite nicely. Her mind was spinning with questions, and a bit of sickness. This place was so dark compared to the chrome walls of her home.

April hadn't been expecting the sudden drop into one of the gaps, and for half a second, she feared they had messed up and missed the jump. But the way they cascaded downwards, using laddars and walls to their advantage, convinced her that this was deliberate. Once all four hit the ground, the red one holding her released the arm holding up her legs. When her feet found the ground, she nearly collapsed. Instead, she backed away, stepping slowly until her back hit the wall.

The orange one neared her again, holding up the device and receiving the racing beeping once more. "So… what's your deal? Did you eat the project?"

She blinked. And like a lightswitch, fury boiled in her chest. She pushed off the wall, her entire frame tensing up. The orange one took a step back as if he had been slapped. "Who… Who do you think you are? All of you?" She started, her voice trembling a bit. "You break into my life and kidnap me from my home, for what? For _what_? I don't understand!" She threw her hands up in the air, her eyes cold with anger. "I don't know who you are or what this stupid project is, but sixteen years I've lived a great life, and if you think you can just…"

"Sixteen years?" Leo's eyes flashed with confusion and disbelief.

Her gaze shifted as a large white shape sped past the gap down towards the edge, a low rumbling shaking the ground beneath her feet along with it. The sudden movement startled her, and she threw her back up against the wall and fought to maintain her breathing. It disappeared as soon as it arrived, and the rumbling died away. "What… what was that?"

When she turned back, the other four had found the walls of the alley as well, concealing themselves in the shadows. Instead of humoring her with an answer, the blue one ignored her. "The Kraang's vans are patrolling, we have to get underground." Leo ordered, breaking from the darkness first. "But first, we need you to cooperate with us."

The purple one had stepped forward, taking the device from the orange one and holding it up to her. Again. The beeping picked up for the third time, and she swatted it away angrily. Thankfully he didn't press. "What do you want from me?" She demanded, meeting Leo's eyes. He seemed to be the one in charge here.

April O'Neil wasn't sure why she was staying here, and not running out so that the Kraang could take her home. But something forced her to stay. Especially by the way the blue one had calmly asked, "What's your name?"

With hesitation, she blinked suspiciously before repeating what she had read on her nameplate her entire life. "April O'Neil."

"April." Leo's tongue tasted the word before he turned to the other three, who had approached in a semi-circle around her. "I am Leonardo. This is Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. We're not the bad guys, here, alright? Answer my questions with what you know. Please"

The names were long, and already escaping her memory. She decided to memorize them all later. No, there wouldn't be a later, because she was determined to go home. "And why should I?" She crossed her arms, her eyes stealing glances around her. Her mind drifted a bit from the conversation, but Leo's answer pulled her back.

"Because… it may save the world."

Her eyebrow raised, she shifted her weight on her other foot. Another streak of white and a loud rumbling noise shook the ground once more, and she flinched as it passed the alley. Instead of hiding, the blue one grabbed her arm and leaned closer. "Can they track you?"

Another white van. "What?"

"Can they track you?" He asked again. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the one in orange peeling away a round-shaped trap door cover. The red one jumped in, and then the purple.

"N-No?" She assumed.

And then she was off her feet again. Carried in Leo's arms, he had leaped into the air and into the trap door. Whatever it was. For all of two seconds, they were falling, until Leo's feet hit the ground and he curled her closer in attempt to protect her. A heavy scent hit her, and she held her nose. "Yuck, it stinks even worse down there!"

"Well, you did live in clean-freak central for sixteen years." The orange one pointed out as he entered last. The door above them had been sealed once more, and darkness enveloped them. Leo hadn't put her down just yet, and instead, he had begun to move.

Now that they were back inside, April felt herself begin to relax a little bit. Her shaking had died down to a shiver from the cold, and the arms holding her were sturdy enough to ease her fear. He had said they weren't the bad guys. _Does that mean I can trust him? _The other end of her mind scoffed. _He kidnapped you for goodness' sakes!_

A little bit of light was filtering in somewhere down the end, and she looked up. Instead of wondering where they were heading, April had long decided to just close her eyes and calm down. This place was weird, smelly, dark… and she wanted to go home.

When they came to an opening, walls and hallways branching out from all ends, she was dropped onto her feet with Leo's hand on her back to steady her. "Mikey, light something will you?"

"Can do!" A flash of light, and she glanced over as he pulled out a flashlight and flipped it on.

"How long have you had that?" The purple one asked with surprise, eyes wide.

"All night, why?"

The purple one blinked, and then his gaze hardened. "All the flashlights were in my lab." He was suddenly moving towards him. Snatching the flashlight from him, he pushed his face towards his with irritation. "…You went in my lab earlier! I knew it!" He exclaimed.

"Nuh uh!" Mikey claimed, snatching the flashlight back and turning away to protect it. "I uh- found it lying around!"

"Mikey I've told you countless times to stay out of my lab!" The purple one's arms snapped apart with emphasis. "Ever since you-"

"Guys!" Leo cut off, shouldering his way in between the two of them. Their words ceased, and April felt a giggle rise in her throat. A giggle, a small harmless giggle, that grew into laughter. And then she couldn't breathe. She was holding her arms over her stomach, feeling the hysterical edge to it that she couldn't push away.

"I can't believe this is happening." She rasped between breaths, attempting to force her laughs away. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Hey, calm down…" The purple one put a hand on her shoulder, concern on his face.

She shook it away, straightening up. April still wore a smile, but it was more of a grimace than anything. "Please just… please just take me home." And then her eyes were sprung with tears. She didn't dare wipe them away.

All four exchanged glances, and her shoulders slumped with defeat. "…You're not going to take me home, are you?"

"We'll explain everything. I promise." Leo pushed his hands together. "But… no. You can't go home."

"Do you think you can tell me why? And don't give me that 'it'll save the world' crap. I want to know the exact reason as to why you broke into my home and kidnapped me."

"I can't answer that fully until you answer some questions of mine." Leo cut in, his eyes intense as he searched her gaze. "Have you… lived in that place your whole life?"

She crossed her arms, hugging her elbows. "Yes."

"And… what was it like?"

_What was it like? What kind of stupid question is that? _She cocked an eyebrow at him, shrugging a bit. "I… I don't know. I ate, read, slept, it was boring but I liked it."

"And that's all?"

"Maybe you can let me ask you a question now." April cut in, putting forth her best attitude.

Leo shook his head. "Finish this question first, then you can ask us whatever you want."

April O'Neil bit her lip, looking at the ground. "They… did tests on me. Experimented me. I mean, I don't know what it was for, but it wasn't… anything bad."

"Do you know why they tested you?" Mikey had asked from the side, his hands on the red one's shoulders as he peered at her.

She shook her head.

Leo's mouth opened, as if he had another question, but then his eyes flashed and he retreated. He cleared his throat. "Alright, ask away."

Finally relieved that she had an opportunity to ask the questions, she opened her mouth. But in a similar fashion as Leo, she found herself standing dumbfounded. It took her several seconds to realize that she had no logical questions to ask any of them. Instead, she reviewed everything that had happened in the past twenty minutes, and decided to pluck her questions from what they had been doing. "You keep mentioning a project."

"That's not a question." The red one pointed out, placing his hands on his sides and tucking his thumbs into his belt.

"Okay, fine. What is this project?"

"You. Next?"

She blinked at the red one, feeling a bit of shock and confusion. "What… Me? What do you mean me?"

Finally, Leo took a step forward so that he was shoulders in front of the others. He had accidentally shouldered red in the process, and red looked as if he were about to shove him back. However, he kept his hands to himself, and glared away. "Let's start from the beginning, okay?" Leo suggested, and he sat himself on the ground, crossing his legs and placing his hands in his lap. His gaze shifted to April with a patient sweep.

April took a few seconds of hesitation, glaring at the dirty floor, until she finally complied and settled down. She cringed as her bottom touched the ground, swearing she sat in something sticky. The other three had sat around her, the flashlight left sideways on the floor so it lit the junction. When everyone was settled, Leo had begun to speak, and April ignored whatever she was seated on. "Two weeks ago, we encountered the Kraang kidnapping a man. Have you seen him?"

"A man?" She blinked at him. "You mean there are actually people out here who look like me?"

Leo seemed to narrow his eyes with confusion, his eyes sharking sideways at Red before turning back to her. "Erm… yes. There are millions of people like you."

It was as if someone had driven a heavy blow to her stomach. For several seconds, she felt the world spin a bit and her breath stop. But Leo had continued on as if nothing peculiar had been announced. "So, you haven't seen the man. We attempted to rescue him, though at the time we were clumsy and underestimating of the Kraang. They got away, and we arranged a rescue. Things… didn't go right."

"But wait, why were they kidnapping him?"

"We… don't know." Leo and Purple exchanged glances. April really wished she could remember his and Red's names. "But, we did get something out of our attempt. We found a memory chip. The Kraang, we discovered, are planning to use this substance called mutagen for certain purposes."

"What's mutagen?" April's head was spinning.

"It's a chemical that can transform living things." Purple interrupted. "It's why we're the way we are."

Her eyes searched them up and down, curiously trying to find a difference that would be noticeable. Maybe the shells they had? "What did the mutagen change about you?"

Again, all four exchanged glances, and she felt a bit uncomfortable at facing their companionship with each other, as if they could read one another's minds. "Have you ever heard of animals?" Mikey cut in, raising his hand a bit to draw her attention.

"Yeah." She nodded. Plenty of her books talked about animals.

"We're animals called turtles. Except we're also human. Somehow the stuff made us half human. Sort of." He leaned backwards on his hands. "We're the only four in the world that look like this."

Again, she found herself raising her eyebrow at them in contempt. But Purple had picked the story back up. "During the rescue, we also got a few seconds to speak with the man who had been kidnapped. He explained what he knew from the few short hours he had been kept imprisoned there that the mutagen was the Kraang's own creation, and that it wasn't working the way it should. They were trying to figure out a way to modify it. Later, when we discovered this so called 'project' on the memory chip, we realized that the project must be what they've been creating to perfect the mutagen's components and effects. And… unless my TPhone tracker's wrong, you… _are_ the project."

"Slow down." She suddenly put her hands up to hold her head, resting her elbows on her legs. "Just… slow down."

All four watched her carefully as she took in shaky breaths, fighting to maintain control of her inner self. After several seconds of silence, filled with a sound of rushing water in the distant tunnels, she finally sighed. "The Kraang… are the bad guys here?"

"Yep." Mikey piped up. "But you're not bad, right?"

Had she not been sitting down, she might have passed out. But instead, she fought her dizzy head and looked back up at them. "So… what does… that mean? Me being the project?"

"Well, you've told us that they've been testing and experimenting you." Purple spoke calmly, scooting closer so that he was next to Leo and right in front of her. "I think… you may be the key to their ultimate plan. There's something about you they're trying to develop. Or maybe you're just a host for a virus they're creating in your body. Either way, we need to take you away from them, before whatever they're trying to develop is created.."

"Away from them? Away… from my home?" She looked up sharply, tears springing in her eyes once more, accompanied by the boiling anger.

"Yes." Leo confirmed with a slow nod. "You'll be safe with us, I promise."

"I don't even know you!" She spat, rising to her feet and pointing an accusing finger. "How can I trust you? What if you're lying to me?"

"You can trust us." Purple promised, putting a hand on his chest. "This world is in danger. We need you to come with us. Please, April."

She turned back to him, and his hand was extended out to her. Inviting her. Asking her to join them, and let them take her in. April stared at him for several long seconds, eyes wide with a mixture of different emotions and thoughts. Her mind was over-riding. Several seconds passed with his hand held out to her, the other three standing behind him. Her mind told her to run. To flee. To go home, where it was safe.

Very, very hesitantly, she reached her hand out to his.

As soon as her skin made contact with his, his large scaly fingers enveloped her hand and tugged her sideways, up into the air, and into his arms. Once she was secure and her mind had stopped spinning, she hugged her arms around his neck and held on for her life, looking at the tunnel they had come from over his shoulder. She wasn't exactly sure why she chose to trust them in the end.

But maybe... maybe April just wanted a part in this world she had dreamed about for so long.


	3. Chapter 3

**You guys are amazing, you know that? Thank you sooo much for all of the feedback! It's really, really appreciated and I love reading each and every review. Hah, this chapter was fun. I was so hungry after writing one of the scenes that I had to go eat my pantry out.**

**I would like to know why I always end up writing these chapters in the late of night, where I'm bound to make every mistake possible. Oh well.**

* * *

"So… where are we going?"

"To our home." Mikey answered, grinning in her direction. "Don't worry, it's not nearly as smelly."

Not exactly sure how to answer, she instead turned to look at the tunnels around her. Quite frankly, there wasn't much _to _look at, but it still spiked her mind, due to the fact that this was something that wasn't chrome or purple.

Smelly as it may be, it was intriguing. Different. And at some point, the scenery around them had become more orderly, cleaner (though still a sore scent to the nose), and easier on the eye. At first, she had wondered why the four wouldn't let her run and keep up with them on foot. Her legs were perfectly functional, as was the rest of her. Looking back at the walls, however, it took her several moments to realize how fast they were actually going. Leo was carrying her for her own good.

Stubbornness almost caused her to demand that she be put down. But the very thought of being on her own two feet was hard to even think about. In his muscular arms, she felt safe and secure. While the feeling should have been much different for such a stranger, she found herself welcoming the difference. She could almost fall asleep.

Turns out, she had at one point. She remembered a hand sweeping her bangs from her face, and her eyes blinking groggily open at the sight of the purple-masked one peering over her. "You alright?" He asked in a kind tone.

"M'fine." She muttered, the beginnings of a headache pressing into her temple. "Just tired."

"Well, we're home now. Would you like us to show you around?" Leo asked above her, his arms still holding her up. "Or would you like it to wait until morning?"

Fighting a yawn, she shrugged her way out of the turtle's arms and got to her feet. The world around her, much to her dismay, tipped and swayed and she nearly fell onto her side, had Mikey not been right at her shoulder. She found herself leaning a hand against him until her brain fought for balance, and the orange clad ninja did nothing but put a hand under her elbow to support her. "Thanks." She muttered heartily under her breath, to which she spotted him nod out of the corner of her eye. Once she could stand without the urge to puke, she straightened up and opened her eyes.

Wherever she was, it was much less smelly, much more organized, and very welcoming. The area was large, a series of different levels, and though it was a little cold, she didn't feel intimidated or afraid. "Oh, wow…" She murmered, words escaping her for a moment. Was this what they talked about in her books? A house? Where were the windows? Where was the fireplace? There wasn't even a front door, she noticed as she turned around.

"You like?" Mikey had asked excitedly, peering over at her with sparkling eyes.

Frowning at him was almost an impossible task. "Yeah, it's really cool." She answered, only then realizing that Mikey's hand had still been on her arm. He took it away as she seemed to get herself under control, and the others had moved away a bit to mill into their home.

"It's late, and I'll bet you're tired, but if you want us to show you around real quick, that'd be fine." Leo offered from behind her, drawing her attention as she realized he had not moved.

_Not like I could sleep in a strange place anyway. _"That would be great, if you don't mind." She answered, fatigue and anxiety battling away.

The entire home wasn't as large as she had first imagined. The common area in itself was pretty big, but there wasn't much other than it. A kitchen for meals, bathroom, their rooms, the purple one's lab (Mikey had called him Donnie, which meant all she had to do was figure out Red's name), and a smaller carpeted area they had referred to as the dojo.

Upon entry, the starburst of colors had been a slap in the face. Bright orange and red lined the very walls and floors. However, those attributions were not what her full attention found so intriguing. Instead, at the very end where a door opened like a screen, a gigantic furry creature stood erect with a tense posture. At the very sight, she felt the other four around her stiffen.

The four's tense postures mirrored the tall creature's, and they stood at attention as he spoke. "My sons, you have returned from your mission." The man's voice was deep. He called the green creatures his sons, though he looked nothing like them. Confused already, her eyes shifted to the others as she awkwardly began to step away. He was intimidating. "Who is this?"

Leo had shouldered his way in front of her, and the others had almost completed a square around her. "Ah, _sensei_, erm…" He chuckled nervously, and April felt her stomach knot. "W-Well, do you remember the ah, Kraang project we talked about?"

"Yes." He didn't move.

"Well… this is it- um- her." Leo nodded in her direction behind his shoulder, remaining in his stance in front.

At this, the strange creature's eyebrow had arched upwards. April's eyes strayed in hopes that his gaze wouldn't catch her, and she spotted the others staring off in different directions as well. Several seconds of silence passed, and her face glowed red with embarrassment. "Leonardo," He finally spoke at last, "perhaps now is a suitable time for you to debrief your mission." The tall creature suggested, his tail flicking towards the room he had emerged from.

Leo, with a slump of his shoulders, stepped forward willingly. "_Hai_, sensei." He muttered half-heartedly, walking the short distance until he had disappeared into the adjoining room. The tall brown creature glanced up, his hand on the doorway. He lingered one moment too long, creating an awkward atmosphere, before he stepped foot into the room and shut the screen behind him.

All around her, the remaining three creatures let out tense breaths. "Alright, let's get her a pillow and blanket so she can sleep on the couch." The one in red offered as he turned towards the commons.

"You want her to sleep on the couch?" Donnie put a hand on Red's shoulder, turning him face-front. "She spent sixteen years sleeping in a small room, do you really think she'll be able to sleep in the livingroom?"

"Well what do you suggest we do then?" Red crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes with a snarl.

"Erm, she can sleep in my room! I'll take the couch." Donnie suggested with a half-smile.

Great, now they were arguing about her right in front of her. "Umm, guys? Still here." She raised her hand a bit and waved, drawing their attention. She wondered if Donnie had a point. "I can take the couch, no problem." April replied, intending not to mess up their own arrangements. There was no point in making herself a burden to their life.

"Wait- are you sure?" Donnie turned to her with a look of sincerity. She nodded.

"I'll get her a blanket and stuff!" Mikey exclaimed excitedly, accidentally shouldering Red on his way out. As April peered outside of the dojo, she spotted him leaping across the common area with his fists raised, and his voice uplifted as he cried out "This is going to be the best sleepover ever!"

"This isn't a sleepover, Mikey." Donatello pointed out, though the orange-masked turtle seemed to disregard him. "We'll be in our own rooms, and she'll-"

"We have a guest, Donnie, and she's staying the night! Official sleepover. It's official. Officially." He crossed his arms to create his point, his shell facing his brother as he pranced across the pit. His gaze hadn't turned, nor had his head, and he instead spoke to empty air with confidence that he was heard.

Seconds passed, and April began to move towards the square-shaped couch. Before she could get far, Donatello put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, umm…" He turned her so that she faced him, and he frowned down at her apologetically. "I just wanted to say… I'm sorry we can't do more. I wish… there were things we could do to help you… I wish we didn't have to take you out of your home like that."

Frowning, she turned her gaze upwards to meet his. "Well… thanks. I appreciate that." She replied, his frown mirroring her own. Seconds passed, and she realized he was waiting for her to say more. When she didn't, he patted her shoulder and turned away with a side-smile.

"If you need anything, we'll be in our rooms." He offered kindly. "Fridge is open if you're hungry. We've got pizza, and um… well." He stopped. "We're kind of low on stuff right now. Pizza's probably your best bet."

Her eyes, which had been low, suddenly snapped upwards at the word. She had never heard it aloud before. Only in her books, where she had been certain that such a thing didn't exist. "W… wait." She murmured, receiving his curious gaze from the edge of the hall. "Pizza… pizza's real? Uh- I mean- you have pizza?" Her throat clenched anxiously, excitement pounding in her veins. Her books were true…

His expression was the definition of confusion. With one eye raised and the other lowered, he looked around before pitching a thumb in the kitchen's direction. "Eh, yeah. It's in the fridge…" He replied quietly. It took all of two seconds before she spun on her feet, half-jogging towards the kitchen. "Um- Do you know how to heat it up?" He added, chasing after her as she entered the kitchen with a face of pure concern.

"Ummmm…" She hummed, stopping short as she looked around. Now which thing was a fridge? Her questionable sound was answer enough for the green turtle, as he seemed to take charge.

Stepping in front of her, Donnie reached forward and pulled the large white box open. A gust of cold air spilled out, skidded across the hard floor, and sent a shiver up her spine. From it, a flat-shaped box was removed and placed on the table. The purple-masked turtle used his foot to kick the door shut.

"Have you really never had pizza before?" Donatello asked incredulously, and April shook her head. "What do you normally eat?"

"I…" April shrugged, "I don't know to be honest. It's the same thing every day. And it's disgusting."

"You don't know how much I can understand that." He replied with a hearty laugh, catching her off guard. But the expression on his face was gone as he lifted the lid, revealing a few triangle-shaped items, each a golden-yellow color. "Let me just heat it up for you."

Stepping away so that he could take care of it, she watched with interest as he stuck two slices on a plate and slid it into another box. Buttons on the side (key code?) worked magic, and the small window on the front displayed a bright light and a deep hum from inside. There seemed to be a plate beneath the plate, and both were spinning slowly in the center. A number on the top right was counting down.

"This is making it heated?" She asked, leaning her hands on the table and looking through the window with wide, curious eyes.

"Yeah. It tastes better that way. Mikey eats it cold a lot, but I can't stand it if it's not at least room temperature." Donnie leaned against the counter, his eyes blinking between the box and April. A few seconds passed, filled with only the humming of the machine, until a loud beeping filled the room and he pressed the open-door button. From inside, he removed the place with two heated triangles of pizza.

"Hold it by the crust." He pointed at the bottom of the triangle shape. "Bite off the end there."

Doing as she was told, she gingerly reached forward and touched it, only to withdraw her hand with a squeal. "It's hot." She pointed out.

"We can let it cool for a minute then." Donnie assured.

A few seconds passed before she gingerly reached out again. "It's still going to be hot." He warned her, though she ignored him this time. It actually wasn't as hot as she assumed, she had just been caught off guard, she soon came to realize. Picking up the pizza and holding it from beneath, she gingerly reached her head forward. She held her breath. From the very end, she sunk her teeth into it and felt it's warmth tickle her teeth. The piece of food slid onto her tongue, and she closed her lips.

Before she had even swallowed, her eyes had flickered open and her posture had tensed. "What? What is it?" Donatello asked, his eyes blinking with concern.

But there was no reason to be worried, for her eyes were sparkling with wonder. "This… this is fantastic! I never thought food would taste so good!" She exclaimed, catching him by surprise. She took another bite. And then another. "This is amazing! I can't believe it, I've never tasted anything like it before!"

Donnie was laughing. She wasn't sure why, but at the moment, she didn't really care. She was scarfing down each bite as an explosion of taste filled her mouth. He was smiling, grabbing his own plate and sticking a slice on it for himself. "I take it you like it?"

"I love it!" She responded with her mouth full, struggling to swallow the amount she had bitten off.

"Hey, I got the blankets!" Mikey exclaimed from outside the kitchen, and April stepped towards the curtain. She pushed away a portion and stuck her head out, smiling despite the pizza in her mouth.

She tried to tell him thank you, but her mouth was so stuffed that she had nearly started to choke. The very action had created a burst of laughter, and she nearly spit out what was in her mouth. "Hey, you're taking the last of the pizza!" Mikey exclaimed, tossing the bed gear onto the couch and racing into the kitchen. Swiping the last slice from the box, he joined the two for a round of midnight pizza, watching excitedly as April swallowed her mouthful of delicious food.

* * *

_I should have taken Donnie up on his offer._

The pillow was draped over her head with her arms flat over it, her feet sticking out of the blanket due to a mixture of warmth and coldness. She couldn't decide which she was. The couch wasn't stiff enough when compared to her usual bed, and the main room was intimidatingly large. Donatello was right. She couldn't do this.

Now that everyone had gone to bed and the entire lair was silent, she could hear the creepy noises. The leaking pipes, the rushing of faraway sewer waters. And above it all, there was a loud rumbling noise every few minutes coming from the roof. In the Kraang facility, she had slept in complete and utter silence.

Sleeping in here felt near impossible.

She tossed this way and that, attempting to find comfort in an unfamiliar bedplace, and eventually surrendered. She sat up, pulling the blanket over her lap, and held her arms in her hands. The eerie atmosphere wasn't helping much, either.

"Hey April." A whisper startled her half to death, and she jumped. Though it was only Michelangelo, walking through the main area with his own blanket and his pillow tucked under his arm. It was weird seeing him maskless, though it was easy to recognize him from his distinct voice. As soon as he caught sight of her sitting upright and quietly, he slowed his pace and his gaze lowered. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"

Instead of trying to deny it to save her pride, she merely nodded. He threw his own stuff onto the couch and plopped down, frowning. "Does it feel weird sleeping away from there?"

She heaved a heavy sigh, drawing her blanketed knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "Yes." She answered, blinking downwards. "I appreciate what you guys are doing to make me feel at home, I really do, but it's not the same. I really want to go home. To my actual home"

Frowning really didn't suit him, it seemed. His gaze was low, his eyes tired but still full of life. "I'm sorry." He said simply, looking up at her. "If things were different..." He trailed off.

"I don't even know what's going to happen from here." She suddenly felt like venting and shivered angrily, drawing the blanket up some. "What do I do? Live here the rest of my life? On the couch? This is your home, not mine. I don't belong here. I just… I don't know what's going on anymore. I don't know where I'm supposed to be. And it's the most frustrating thing in my life because I've always known my place. I've always gone by strict rules and I was always taken care of, and now... it's all a lie? What, I'm supposed to leave it all behind? That's where I grew up. That's where I've always belonged!" She curled her hands into fists, fighting anger in a losing battle.

Mikey didn't have anything to say to that, apparently. He had pulled the blanket over his lap and was sitting criss-cross on the couch. Tears were springing in her eyes and she was resisting the urge to wipe them away, but they were threatening to spill. "The Kraang are the bad guys." Mikey suddenly said, drawing her attention away from the floor. "You were their prisoner this entire time, and they were using you. That may have been the place you lived, but it wasn't your home. You need a real home, and a real family. A family that will care about you and love you. And maybe… maybe we can be that family." His gaze finally lifted, his expression serious and loving all in one.

Her eyes, which were full of watery tears, swayed a bit at his words. And then the floodgates opened. Holding the blanket close to her chest, she choked on tears and sobs and hid her head in her pillow, unable to stop. Michelangelo had moved. His arm was suddenly slung over her shoulders, a strong, sturdy grip, and she leaned into him at his welcome. Michelangelo said nothing as she shook and shivered through her tears, trembling beneath his touch. For minutes, they sat in silence filled only by the subway noises and the sounds of April's sniffling. He was keeping her close, feeling her shivers beneath his own skin, and sadly holding on tight in attempt to console her.

Minutes later, she had eventually fallen asleep, her head leaned against his plastron and her arms wrapped around her pillow. His arm remained over her shoulder, and he reached over to pull the blanket up to her waist. Once he was convinced she was as comfortable as could be, he leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. Mikey didn't move from that spot for the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys! Sorry for the delay and the shorter chapter. Also, **Freakishly** asked a very good question, to which I'll answer that this chapter does touch up on that subject. Only barely though, because later on it'll be a source for a plot device. Good job for being one step ahead!^^ I hope this chapter turned out okay, I wrote it up when I wasn't feeling too well. Hope this turned out okay._

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The room had been dark up until the point Leo had switched his bedside lamp on. Light flashed against the walls, and he blinked several times until his eyes adjusted to the light. As if on cue, the door to his room opened and Donatello peeked inside. Without notice or warning, he stepped into the room and crossed the area. Behind him, Raphael entered as well. Leonardo said nothing. Donatello sat criss-cross on the floor, his hands rested in his lap, and Leo scooted over to allow Raph some room to share a seat on the bed with him.

"Where's Mikey?" Donnie asked, and Raphael heaved a heavy sigh.

"I'll go get him." The red clad ninja offered, standing and crossing the room. Into the hallway he disappeared, and the door closed with a quiet click.

"Alright, so we have a lot to discuss." Leo shivered a bit, feeling fatigue wash over him.

Donnie frowned, and Leo could see the way his eyelids fluttered with a heavy weight. "It can't wait until tomorrow?"

"April should be sleeping, it's now or never. I don't want to leave her alone."

"Don't you trust her?"

Leo's eyes, which has been calm and cool, switched downwards at his brother with frustration and built up impatience. "She grew up in enemy hands, something's up with her DNA or whatever, and she has never seen the light of day in her life. It's not that I think she's evil, but I don't know if we can fully trust that we would be safe with her. We know nothing about-"

The door opened, silencing Leo and drawing both his and Donnie's gazes. Raphael shook his head, closing the door behind him. "He's asleep in the livingroom with April. I can't… I'm not going to disturb them." He looked away with an awkward frown.

"We can talk without him then." Leo waved his hand in the air, dismissing the thought. Raphael returned to his seat next to Leo. "We just need to slow down, and go over what we know, alright? Donnie?"

His younger brother cleared his throat, blinking tiredly. "Well… The Kraang have mutagen, but it doesn't work the way it should. They made a project, assumedly to help fix the construct of the mutagen's structure, and April O'Neil is the project." He shrugged a bit, receiving silence from his brothers. Of course, all of this they already knew. But Donatello continued. "I hypothesize that she's either being used as a host for a virus, or they're directly altering her DNA until it's correct. Once it is, they'll obtain it and modify the mutagen with it."

"So what do we do with her?" Raphael asked, drawing his legs up in a criss-cross position. "The plan was to destroy the project."

"Plans change." Donatello waved his hand dismissively, his gaze hard. "She's a human being, there's no reason to justify killing her."

"Except rescuing the entire human race." Raphael muttered softly under his breath, his eyes sad. Donatello's mouth opened quickly, as if to argue, but then his brother looked back up and he saw it. Raphael didn't mean it. His gaze was a mixture of worry and concern, as if his options were weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Leo confirmed Donatello's reasoning, not looking at the forlorn Raphael. "No, we're not going to kill her. That's not who we are."

"I know." Raphael replied tiredly, "So what do we do then?"

Leo frowned, and his gaze fell into his lap. A few seconds of uneasy silence filled the room, and all three found themselves fiddling. There was a heavy sigh. "Well…" Leo muttered quietly, his mind wandering. "She needs protection. And a place to stay…"

"Alright, back up." Raphael held his hand up. "You're actually thinking about her living with us? Are you insane? We only met her like two hours ago! We don't know anything about her, she- she could be a spy for the Kraang!"

"As much as I agree with Raph," Donatello cut in, closing his eyes, "We need to do what's in the best interest for the people above. If she's really the key to taking over the world, we need to keep her out of the Kraang's hands."

"I just don't see how you guys can just easily adopt an actual person into our family like this." Raphael shook his head.

Donnie and Leo exchanged glances, and the eldest shivered. "It's getting late, and we've got training. I think… we should at least try. Keeping her in the lair, I mean. She's our guest okay? But keep a very, _very_ close eye on her. I don't want to just take a stranger into our family either, but… right now, we don't have much of an option."

His brothers fell silent, finally nodding in agreement. A heartbeat too long, and Leo found himself clearing his throat. Catching the hint, his brothers rose from their seats and crossed the room, exiting through the door and shutting it behind them. Leo let out a tense breath and fell onto his shell, the pillow enveloping his head.

"You've invited a complete stranger to live on the ship before, Captain Ryan." He muttered to himself. He didn't have to shift his eyes to his action figure to speak. "And they ended up setting fire to the medic bay and attempted stabbing Dr. Mindstrong. Do you think April would do that?"

Of course, there was no response. But the darkness tugging at the edges of his vision was welcoming and he fell into a deep slumber, disregarding the answer as if it didn't matter.

Michelangelo had a crook in his neck.

When he woke up, hours later, with his head bent over the side of the couch, he could feel it. The tight, sore muscle where he should have laid his head on a pillow. April wasn't neatly laid against his plastron either, for now her head was in his lap with her body sprawled out across the couch beside him. When he stirred, she shifted upon awakening. "I gotta get up, you can keep sleeping." Mikey whispered softly, too tired to offer any sort of smile. He gently got out from under April's head and stood on his own two feet, stretching his arms high above his head.

"What time is it?" April muttered, picking up the pillow that had fallen onto the ground and replacing it on the couch.

"About noon." Mikey answered, rubbing at his neck. "You can go back to sleep if you're tired."

"Actually, I'm a bit hungry." She admitted, and he turned around.

"Well, lucky for you, I'm the master chef of the house." He finally smiled, bowing a bit. And then came a sudden frown. "Actually- I'm late for training! Sorry! Uhh… have some cereal." He gestured towards the kitchen, becoming edgy as he began to head towards the higher room.

"Cereal?" She asked innocently, and he turned back to her.

"Top right shelf. Grab the red box and pour yourself a bowl. There's some milk in the fridge too, just pour that in after pouring the cereal!"

The youngest of the four mutants turned away, racing towards the dojo. Behind him, April lay on her side with half of her face buried in the unusually soft pillow, head buzzing from the unfamiliar surroundings upon awakening. Michelangelo's instructions were pretty vague, but she figured she could figure it out on her own. She watched him until he disappeared in the carpeted room, and heard the swish of a curtain behind him.

At some point, she had fallen asleep again, for a large hand was prodding her awake again. A voice drifted heavily from above her, and she could just catch the words "…don't like this" as her eyes fluttered open. The red-masked ninja was leaning above her, with Leo over his shoulder. "Raph- wait" The blue one had begun to say, before turning his attention to her open eyes.

Raph. So that was his name. "Hey. Hey, wake up." He was muttering to her, shaking her a bit until she willingly lifted herself up into a sitting position.

"Yes?" She muttered, rubbing at her eyes. Donatello and Michelangelo were in front of her, standing in the pit. She had eventually grown very accustomed to the comfy, soft couch, but felt a bit better as she lifted herself to a sitting position.

"We want to show you something." Donnie answered with a smile, he and Mikey using the couch as a stairstool to meet their brothers on ground level.

"Show me what?" She frowned, lifting the blanket from over her lap. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see. Just follow us." Raph replied, his shell facing her as he strolled to the turnstile entrance. Leo looked a bit concerned, she noted, as he gave his brothers a look and followed behind with reluctance. A chill bit at her skin from the loss of blankets, but she nonetheless followed after them with curiosity.

They walked in a group for several minutes, strolling through the sewer tunnels along the edges by the water. It seemed considerably brighter now. April wasn't sure why, but perhaps this meant that a sun was real. Like they said in her books. It would have to be filtering through from somewhere.

When they reached a ladder, Raphael went first, and Leo followed behind him. The other two cut in right after, making her climb last. Her eyes wandering, she tried to look through the manhole as it was removed, but she couldn't see much with the boys in the way. Finally, when it was her turn, she grasped the rungs of the ladder and ascended straight upwards.

Her hand made purchase with the ground, and a large hand was suddenly brushing over her fingers. When she realized it was Mikey, offering a hand, she took it thankfully and let him help her up. A cool breeze tugged at her white clothing, and her eyes wandered across the sky. They were in the middle of two tall structures, and it was blocking most of the sky. Where was the sun?

The turtles were silent as they made their way to a string of ladders. They scaled the wall of one of the tall structures, leading up in layers to the top. This time, after Raphael had begun his climb, they let her go close behind him. The other three trailed at her feet.

"Almost there." Leo promised from beneath her, and she bit her lip. Curiosity and wonder filled her veins, her heart beginning to pound. What was so special that they needed to be up high to see? She shivered a bit, feeling another nip of cold air brush against her skin. Once the one in front of her had reached the roof, Raph pulled himself over the edge and turned around to help her up. She took his arms willingly, watching as the sky made itself open and wide.

April gasped.

White, cotton-like forms flooded the sky all around her, moving as if painted by a rushing hand across the horizon. And the sun, yes the sun, was as clear as day in a patch of bright blue sky. Her breath caught in her throat. It's warmth and brightness was too much for her eyes, and she felt excitement pound into her chest though she had to look away.

"You ready?" Mikey asked, putting a hand on her arm and pulling her attention to his.

_Ready? Ready for what? _Confused now, she followed as the four walked to the very edge of the building. April paused.

"Look." Donnie motioned with his head.

Slowly, fearfully, she began to approach the edge of the building. Just before the edge, she got to her knees and planted her hands against the edge, looking downwards. And this moment, this was the moment that her heart truly stopped in her chest.

People.

White skin, brown skin, blonde hair, brown hair, people in different shapes, sizes, heights, and with many characteristics beyond her own imagination roamed below her. There were truly people. People like her. People that were free, clothed in colors, beautiful... the very sight was astounding.

She never felt happiness like this in her entire life.

"So… how come you don't talk like the Kraang?"

The television across the pit was considerably loud for April's ears, though she still managed to hear Michelangelo's question. April motioned towards the remote and, when he took the hint, Mikey lowered the volume. Donatello was leaned up against the couch to the side on his laptop, and Leo was throwing punches to a dummy across the room. Raphael was sitting off to the side, with a real turtle, Mikey had informed her, they called Spike. He was very small, compared to the boys, though they said that Spike looked like what they would have been if they hadn't been mutated. It was very, very interesting.

"What do you mean?" April asked, lowering the magazine Leo had lended her to look at. She didn't understand half of what was going on in it, but it was still interesting to look at the people in it and some of the creative stuff shown.

"Well," Mikey turned on his rear, remaining in a criss-cross position as he spun to face her. "They're all like 'we are going to kill the ones who are known as turtles with the things which are known as guns to destroy the foes that which is known as turtles to us' and stuff. Y'know, repetitive. How come you don't speak like them?"

April frowned, blinking a bit at his question. "I… don't know." She answered honestly, drawing her legs up. "I mean… I guess I learned some from books, but I've always spoken like this. Even before those."

Donnie was watching her curiously, and she felt a bit uncomfortable at his staring. Like she was a puzzle, and he was attempting to solve it. She could even feel Leo's stare on her back. Another point made itself clear in her mind, and though she didn't think it to be important, she voiced it anyway. "I mean, the Kraang once told me I used to have a mother figure in my cell with me. Maybe I learned to speak from her."

"Your mother?" Leo asked suddenly, drawing her attention around.

"Y-yeah." She answered softly. "I mean, the Kraang never taught me stuff. Most of what I know I learned on my own. But, I asked them one day and they said I used to have a cellmate, and that she was my mother. So…" She hadn't really thought about it before, though now it made a lot of sense.

"Where's your mother now?" Donnie asked.

April frowned, looking back at him. "They told me she was dead."

"Oh." Was all the purple clad ninja said, and then a small "sorry" before he returned to his computer. Mikey was frowning, too, and- great the whole room became sad.

"No, it's fine." She waved her hand a bit. "I don't really remember her anyway."

Though they had relaxed a bit more, it was still way too quiet now. Eventually, Raphael decided that it was too uncomfortable, and stood up. "Anyone want to go grab some pizza?"

"Yeah!" They replied, standing to their feet and racing towards the exit before April could even blink.

"We'll be back, April!" Leonardo called before the group disappeared around the corner. Silence drifted once more, though this time, it wasn't as awkward. She sighed a bit, picking up her magazine and allowing the sound of the television fill the space. She lay onto her back and held the magazine up over her face.

"April." A heavy voice followed, and she peeked over the paper. Their rat father stepped into the room, looking down at her. "Where are my sons?"

"They went to get pizza." She answered, realizing she hadn't spoken to him much during the whole day she had spent in their home. He looked away, towards the exit, before turning back to her. He opened his mouth, as if to respond, though quickly closed it and continued walking towards the kitchen.

She didn't take his silence to heart. She could only imagine how someone would react to keeping a stranger in their home. The curtain closed behind him, and April laid back down, reaching for the remote to shut the television off. She couldn't wait for them to return with the pizza.


End file.
